Sankey’s Inspires Hayesbrook Year 10 Students

The Hayesbrook School is delighted to announce a collaborative project with Sankey’s Seafood Brasserie in Tunbridge Wells.

Over the last few weeks, the Year 10 Food Preparation and Nutrition students have been working with Matthew Sankey, a former Hayesbrook student and owner of Sankey’s Brasserie, to prepare our Pop Up Restaurant which will take place on Saturday 8 July.

The students have designed the menu and have already decided their roles for the day. But most recently the class were able to put their catering skills to the test as they worked under the guidance of Mr Sankey to create one of the signature dishes ‘Sankey’s Smokie’. It was an invaluable experience as students were able to skin and poach the fish, make a roux and then grill the dish to perfection.

Mr Sankey was really impressed with all the boys’ concentration and effort. He said: "The Hayesbrook School was great to me when I was younger, particularly after my mother passed away, so I have always wanted to pay back the debt if you like. Having the opportunity to work with the lads has been fantastic, their knowledge and passion for cookery has really taken me by surprise, I suppose that’s a by-product of having a great teacher in Miss Higgins."

"The plan is to then open up a "pop-up" restaurant with the students later on this summer. They are involved with all aspects of the project, they have come up with the menu and will eventually go on to manning the kitchen and front of house. There is a serious shortage of talented chefs in this country and I am convinced this is partly down to the fact that the skills needed are not part of the National Curriculum so it’s great to see that Hayesbrook takes this seriously."

It was a fantastic morning and it is even more exciting to know this is just a taste of what’s to come.